1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical apparatus and an image forming apparatus, more particularly to an electrical apparatus such as a copier, a facsimile, a printer, adapted to display operation contents on a display panel screen, and an operation program product.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional image forming apparatuses such as copiers, a display panel of an operation section mainly serves as a display for copying condition settings necessary for the copying operation. The function of the display panel is the same both for the outside discharge-type image forming apparatuses and the inside discharge-type image forming apparatuses.
As shown in FIG. 10, an operation display panel 130 defined in an operation section 128 comprises a function selection key 131, a sheet feed cassette setting display key 132, an image reduction/enlargement ratio display key 133, an image density setting display key 134, a sorting mode setting display key 135, a numeric keypad (not shown) and a JAM display, etc.
When setting copying conditions in an image forming apparatus as described above, an operator must first set an image density, a number of copies to be made, a sheet supply cassette by using the display panel provided in the operation section, and after confirming the settings, he/she may initiate the copy operation by pushing the print button. If a sheet jams in a conveyor path, a jam message is displayed on the display panel to urge the operator to remove the jammed sheet.
Also, when a toner cartridge is almost empty, a toner-need-to-replenish message is displayed, and when the toner cartridge becomes empty, a toner empty message is displayed on the display panel to urge the operator to refill. Likewise, when the number of copied sheets by the image forming apparatus becomes equal to or higher than a set value, a message that the apparatus needs maintenance is displayed on the display panel (hereinafter referred to as the former prior art).
Another image forming apparatus is also known that upon occurrence of any inconveniences (failures), a jam remove sequence is displayed on an LCD display by way of machine images which combine a plurality of image parts. For instance, when a jam occurs at a location covered by a front cover member, on the display panel appear an image display division to display a three-dimensional image of an operating member at the location where the sheet is jammed (display of a three-dimensional image of the apparatus), an operation message display division to display a sequence of jam removal operations (e.g., open the front cover), a jam message display division to display an occurrence of a jamming (e.g., sheet is jammed), and an arrow image indicating the direction of opening the front cover in a downward direction (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Hei 5-6065).
The copying condition setting display of the former prior art is necessary for the copying operation. However, once the display contents is set, the set contents cannot be changed until the copy operation is completed or until the setting is reset in the maintenance/check operation. For instance, in the case that the toner-need-to-replenish message is displayed to urge a toner refill operation, the operator cannot concretely estimate what the quantity of the remaining toner is. With the image forming apparatus disclosed in the above-mentioned patent publication, people who have not used the copying machines before or who are reluctant to use machines (i.e., image forming apparatus) are confused by the complex operation and operation function display of the image forming apparatus.
On the one hand, in the case that the machine operates normally, the operator has nothing else to do other than waiting in front of the machine during the copy operation and this waiting time becomes extremely boring. Especially, in the case of making a large number of copies of documents, a very large amount of time is wasted.